We celebrate Christmas, and to us, it’s a time for friends, family, food and drink. For kindness, generosity and charity — for being selfless and helping others when possible. But let’s face it: whether you celebrate anything or not, the December holidays are a time to take a break. A break from work, a break from routine, a break from technology.

For parents of young kids, that can be tough. But there are ways to unwind while entertaining your kids. Exhausted by the time weekends roll around, we’ve become expert at it.

So go ahead and take any kind of kid-related holiday pressure off your shoulders. This is a time when you can give them a break, too. Stay in your PJs. Let loose on a few rules that will make all of your lives a little bit easier.

Here, eight tried, tested and true ways to unwind with the kids.

Make the gingerbread, skip the house.

Store-bought gingerbread houses are stale and not very tasty. And making the houses from scratch requires a lot of people power. Gingerbread cookies, however, are dead-easy. The mix is mostly household stuff (you’ll need to pick up molasses) and they only take seven minutes to bake. Don’t have any cookie cutters? We used different sizes of glasses to make an array of Christmas balls.

Introduce them to a classic

Last year I sat nervously through 1 hour and 37 minutes of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (the best Christmas movie of all time) — hoping there weren’t too many inappropriate moments and worried that my kids wouldn’t appreciate cousin Eddie, Snot and the brilliance of the lighting-up-the-house scene. Thankfully, they loved it — and wanted to watch it again this year.

Binge-watch something great

Screen-time is something we want to keep at a minimum. But everything in moderation, including moderation. Our kids watch little TV, so I’m stoked by the concept of staying in our pyjamas on a particularly cold day and binging a show with them. I was happy to discover that my nine-year-old stepson was watching the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on his iPad (he finished the six-season series in a few months). When I was in Grade 4, like he is, I tuned in religiously every week, and talked about the show the next day with my friends.

This holiday, we plan on finding another classic we can all enjoy together.

Take them to the Leg

It’s always me that pushes for the trips to the Legislature Grounds, but it’s the boys who never want to come home. A trip to see the magnificent light display last week turned into a solid hour of running around above-ground on the frozen ponds and winding paths, and underneath — where they whipped off their coats, raced the empty hallways and marvelled at the giant Lego installation. Fourteen-month-old Indy loved the lights, stimulation and getting out and climbing the Legislature steps.

Cook something new

Having only ever seen the bagged kind, our kids were totally delighted when we pulled out the popcorn machine for the first time and popped our own (very cheap) kernels. Jesse woke up one morning determined to do one better and make caramel popcorn. He discovered it was easier than he thought: boiling butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt — and drizzling the finished caramel over our popped corn. It lasts for a few days in a Tupperware container — if your kids don’t devour it all first.

Get some exercise

Give yourself a break from your rigorous gym routine — but get the endorphins rolling with a hike through Hawrelak or Emily Murphy, the Mill Creek Ravine or Whitemud Park. The prospect of a “walk” isn’t always the most exciting for the kids — but once we’re there they always find ways to sprint, explore and discover. The cocoa will be all the sweeter when you get home.

Scavenge around for a cheap craft

If I’ve learned anything about kids, it’s that what they really, really, really want to do is spend time with their parents. Activities don’t have to be elaborate. It’s amazing what you can do with popsicle sticks, a glue gun and a bag full of markers. We made Christmas tree ornaments — trees, airplanes and sleds.

Have an open house

With the holidays come social obligations. We all want to see our friends and often feel pressured to use this time off to catch up. This year, we’ve tossed around the idea of hosting an open house — a Saturday or Sunday afternoon from 1 p.m. to evening, say, when friends can drop in and bring the kids at their leisure. Kids play. Parents drink nog. Easy and stress-free.

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